t1v: Last month I was dealing with a sudden death in the family and was busy with a funeral and was very overwhelmed. So I was behind on chapters and this month should be a normal number of updates. Thank you for your understanding in advance and my apologies for the inconvenience and going MIA.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be conscious yet. Callistea took this opportunity to examine and make sure he was recovering smoothly.

She wished she could use her powers a bit more. Unfortunately, there was a limit to how much she could draw, so Cesare had not been fully healed. Still, it seemed now his condition was somewhat stable.

‘What a relief.’

Callistea sighed in consolation. Cesare’s wretched state, carried in on Kael’s back, appeared in her nightmares, jolting her awake in horror.

She was well aware that Prince Heinrich was somehow desperate to find out about the pollution and the temple’s corruption. But she had never expected that he’d torture people so severely.

Of course, Callistea was unaware that his tattered figure was due to Akkard’s personal ill-will. After examining Cesare’s two legs, which had been the most severely injured, she quietly stood up.

Suddenly, a ghastly, hoarse voice full of hatred gripped Callistea’s ankles from behind.

“… … Where are you going?”

Callistea, startled, glanced behind her. Then she saw Cesare staring into her face and sneered coldly.

“I knew it would be you.”

His sight, suppressed in this cramped space, grew accustomed to the darkness after some time. Thus, Callistea’s pale, ghostly face was easily recognizable.

“Long time no see.”

“… … Cesare.”

She couldn’t move, as if her feet were frozen. Cesare barely managed to sit up in bed and grabbed her by the collar. He pressed his face close to hers.

“You’ve never reached out to me, as if dead, like a cunning rat and now you dare interfere. So brazen.”

Callistea gasped as her sight filled with his blatant hatred. But the more pained she seemed, the more happy Cesare became.

“What the hell is this? Did you have any strange hobbies?”

Cesare looked at Callistea up and down and scoffed. Her skinny body stumbled at his hand, pulling her by the collar. He ripped off her collar.

“Cesare, dear. Please… … .”

Callistea groaned helplessly. The hatred of her son, whom she met again after several years, was so deep and dark. The remnants of emotions scorched and burned by boiling for too long made her lethargic.

Just like one day in the past when she couldn’t protect her children.

Fearing that her chest might be exposed, Callistea desperately closed her torn collar. However, the necklace exposed through the opening could not be hidden.

The pendant hanging from the cold silver cord was identical to Cesare’s. The only difference was that a small, worn-out ribbon was tied to her necklace.

A cruel light flashed across Cesare’s face upon recognizing the ribbon.

“… … It’s Leoni’s. It’s disgusting that you wear it.”

Another child’s name, buried in her heart all along, came out. Callistea’s eyes turned pale and froze.

Cesare saw this and smirked in a malicious tone.

“But, for saving my life, wouldn’t it be polite to say thank you?”

Cesare stroked his pendant as if he was trying to show it off. Thanks to the magic embedded in it, when imprisoned in a secret prison, he was able to send a rescue request to Callistea without anyone knowing.

However, Cesare did not bring up the pendant to simply praise magical inventions. Rather, it was to hurt Callistea.

He knew well which fangs would hurt Callistea the most.

“Thank you for not letting me die like my sister,”

Cesare spat out, not blinking and glaring at the same water-colored eyes as his own. Seeing something break down in her, he smiled contentedly.

Look, Leoni. See how heartless parents cry when they did nothing when you were dying.

… … my poor little sister

* * *

Damia was in a foul mood for a few days. Of course, the cause of the discomfort was primarily due to Akkard.

She knew of his reputation even in the North. However, Akkard’s actions, which she saw with her own eyes after coming to the capital, were truly beyond imagination.

Damia was once again disappointed by this. And she looked back at herself in disappointment.

‘Why am I doing this? What’s wrong with me?’

It was then that Damia realized. Maybe she was a little bit serious about Akkard.

Even if it was for a brief moment, she might have even imagined a future with him.

‘Because I’m a fool too.’

The problem was that her heart was weak. Akkard’s face, who had been waiting for me that day, looked particularly desperate, so I thought he would cry again at any moment.

Without realizing it, she was almost mistaken. Maybe she… … she thought she might be special to him.

‘Nonsense.’

Fleeing from her thoughts, Damia watched the sun that had begun to fade. She had not even noticed how much time had passed.

“Ahh.”

She got up and quickly started getting ready to go out. Regardless of her relationship with Akkard, she had work to do.

Therefore, Damia implemented her plan to meet the Saint as promised.